Jesse a



(No Model.)

J. A. MEADOWS.

RACK FOR FIREARMS.

Patented Sept. 19, 1893.

'INVENTOH m I *6 W/TNESSES. J

No. 505,320. I

T R V'E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE A. MEADOWS, OF SAOKETTS HARBOR, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM H. AYRES, OF SAME PLACE.

RACK FOR SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,320, dated September 19, 1893.

Application filed April 1, 1893.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J ESSE A. MEADOWS, of Madison Barracks, Sacketts Harbor, in the county of Jefferson and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Rack for Firearms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention consists in arotatable rack for firearms, of novel construction, substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly pointed out in the claims, the same being mainly designed to be used as a combined gun or rifleand pistol rack.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a mainly sectional elevation, upon the line 11 in Fig. 2, of the rack and its base or stand, when the rack is closed to hold the firearms in place, and the guns or rifles are protected by a raising and lowering cap or cover, from dust entering their barrels and without injury to their muzzles. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, upon the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of an upper perforated platform forming part of the rack. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the upper portion of the rack with its cap in a lowered position; and Fig. 5 is a similar view of the upper portion of the rack with its cap or cover in a raised and locked position.

The rack, as represented in the accompanying drawings, is intended to hold any desired number of rifles and pistols, so that when it is closed and locked, by means of a suitable device on top, all will be secured at once and so that when the lock is removed and the cover of the rack raised, the rifles and pistols, or either,.will be secured against falling out and each firearm may be removed or returned independently of the rest.

In said drawings, A indicates a wooden or other base upon the upper surface of which are a series of metal rollers d, preferably three, let into recesses in said base or stand with freedom to rotate therein and with their peripheries projecting above said base. Upon the under side of said baseA, are secured any number of metal legs or rests b, which project downward a certain distance and are then Serial No. 468,670. (No model.)

turnedoutward horizontally. These legs are fastened on to the base A with screws so that they may be readily taken off for shipment, and are provided with holes in their lower outwardly bent portions, in order that they may be readily secured by screws to the floor of an armory, barrack-room, or deck of a ship.

B, is a center post or staff, a-lower extension of which passes downward through a horizontal platform 0 and the base A, to the under side of which it may be secured by a removable pin inserted horizontally through said post and so thatwhile said post will be free to rotate, it will be securely heldin place.

by the pin. The platform 0 is virtually fast on the post B and rests and is free to rotate upon the rollers d of the base A. This platform has suitable recesses e in its upper surface to hold the butt-s of the rifles when in place, Fig. 1 representing a rifle B so resting at its butt end in one of said recesses. There may be any number of these recesses 9 arranged in and around the platform 0, according to the number of guns or rifles the rack is designed to carry. Between said recesses are ribs or supports f, which project from the platform Oand are fastened thereto and extend upward at an angle sufficient to admit of the upper ends of said supports being secured to the post B.

The upper end of the post B is made hollow to form a deep socket for the purpose of receiving down within it, the shank or red uced lower portion of a supplemental upper stafi D, and has a shoulder g, formed upon'it to hold or carry upon it an upper horizontal platform E. This upper platform E, which fits at its center over the shouldered upper portion of the main post B, that may be united with the supplemental upper staff by a removable pin 71, has a series of suitable recesses 2' made in and around its periphery, at proper distancesapart, to receive the barrels of the rifles, and eachof these recesses i is provided with a pivoted or hook catch is to per platform E may be pierced with any num-' ber of oblique holes Z to receive the barrels v have an open ended slot w, cut in them in-' of the pistols, as shown by a single pistol P, in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Above the upper platform E, is a cap G preferably made of wood with a sleeve or circular hole in its center to receive the staff D through it, and to admit of its sliding up and down said staff or post extension. Around this cap G is a metal band m, which projects on the under side of the body of the cap to fasten, when the cap is lowered, the muzzle ends of the several rifles collectively and securely in place. The under side of said cap G, within its rim or band m, is covered with rubber, leather or other soft and flexible mate rial forming a cushion 'n, to prevent injury to the rifle barrels and to keep dust from entering therein. When the cap G is let down or lowered, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, it not only collectively locks the several rifle barrels in their places in the rack, but also forms a shield over the butts of the pistols to keep said pistols collectively in theirplaces too; but when the cap is raised as shown in Fig. 5, then, on suitably rotating the rack upon its roller-fitted base A, not only may the pistols, one by one, be extracted from the rack, but also, on unhooking the catches lo, the several rifles may be removed separately from the rack. Thus when the cap G is down, it forms alock to secure the several firearms in place, but when the cap is raised, or general lock removed, each firearm may be removed or returned independently of the rest. By revolving the rack upon its roller-fitted base, which can be done with case on account of its little friction, each firearm may be brought around wherever it is desired, and the rack may therefore be placed in a corner if desired.

To raise and lower the cap Gand to hold the cap raised when required, a forked lever H is pivoted to the upper portion of the staif D,

staples a), with the upper portion of the cap G. These links or connecting straps I each termediately of their length, so that on raising the cap G, by elevating the lever H, the slots w in the connecting links or straps I, will engage with the lever pivot pins 3, as shown in Fig. 5, and thus the cap be held or locked in its raised position. By lowering the lever H, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the slotted links I are released from the pins s and the forward end of said lever, which is slotted for the purpose, may be made to engage with a staple m on the cap G to hold said cap in its lowered position and to insure the rotation of said cap in common with the lower platform 0, post B with its extension D, and upper platform E.

This rack can be easily taken apart and put together again for transportation from one place to another, and the rack proper may be removed entirely from the base without impairing the security of its contents.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a rotatable rack for firearms, the combination of a central post, a lower platform around said post adapted to hold the butts of guns or rifles, an upper platform recessed to receive within it the muzzle ends of the guns, and provided with looking catches to separately hold them therein, and a rising and falling cap adapted to collectively secure the muzzle ends of the guns within the upper platform, substantially as described.

2. In a rotatable rack for firearms, the combination of a base provided with projecting rollers on its upper surface for support and travel of the rack, a lower platform around said post and resting on the rollers, adapted to hold the butt-s of guns or rifles, an upper platform recessed to receive within it the muzzle ends of the guns and provided with looking catches to independently hold them therein, a rising and falling cap adapted to collectively secure the muzzle ends of the guns within the upper platform, and a looking lever device, substantially as described, adapted to raise and lower said cap and to hold it in position during the rotation of the rack, substantially as set forth.

3. In a rotatable rack for firearms of the character described, the rising and falling cap which collectively secures the muzzle ends of the guns or rifles in place, provided on its under surface with a soft and flexible cushion adapted to bear down upon and protect the muzzles of the guns, substantiallyas described.

4:. A combined rotatable rack for firearms, consisting of a center post, a lower platform around said post adapted to hold the butts of guns or rifles, an upper platform recessed to receive within it the muzzle ends of said guns or rifles, and perforated to receive down within or through it the barrels of aseries of pistols, and a rising and falling cap adapted to collectively secure said guns or rifles and pistols within the upper platform, essentially as specified.

JESSE A. MEADOWS.

Witnesses:

JAMES MCKOY, CHARLES KIMBALL. 

